*I do not know if portends should be followed by “of” or not. Brandon? Tim? Dad?
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Tut, Tut! Looks Like Rain
Not really, but there were some clouds in the sky today in the middle of the day. It was not cloudy in the “portends of precipitation*” type way. They were more of a “there is hope that somewhere in the atmosphere there is moisture” type of cumulus-nimbus types of clouds. I’m not the most observant, but I don’t think there are many clouds during the day. It has been a balmy 109F which is a welcome break. I no longer feel like all of my flesh is burning off as soon as I step outside which is another much appreciated change.
*I do not know if portends should be followed by “of” or not. Brandon? Tim? Dad?
*I do not know if portends should be followed by “of” or not. Brandon? Tim? Dad?
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3 comments:
Matthew - I think I'd say that a one thing is a "portent of" something else, as in, "Animals in flight to high ground are a portent of a tsunami," or, in the verb form, "Animals in flight . . . portend a tsunami". - Dad
desertmate!
i apologize for the late response... i was on leave, and now no one will likely ever read this.
not that it matters: dad is absolutely correct.
Dad's right. "To portend" is a verb, and I can't think of any prepositions that goes with it in normal usage. That's not to say your formulation is grammatically incorrect. Just unusual. As in not normal. As in, works for Matthew. The noun "portent" can stand alone or fit in a prepositional phrase.
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